If you lived in Tuvalu instead of Iran, you would:

Health

see 57.0% more spent on your healthcare

Iran spends $1,064 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Tuvalu spends $1,671 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

live 10.6 years less

In Iran, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Tuvalu, that number is 67 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 2.7 times more likely to be obese

In Iran, 24.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Tuvalu, that number is 65.1% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

have 25.7% fewer doctors per person

Iran has 18.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Tuvalu has 13.5 as of 2020.

View global rankings →

have 29.7% less access to essential health services

Iran scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Tuvalu scores 52 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

make 53.9% more money

Iran has a GDP per capita of $3,924 as of 2025, while in Tuvalu, the GDP per capita is $6,041 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

be 40.6% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Iran, 18.7% live below the poverty line as of 2007. In Tuvalu, however, that number is 26.3% as of 2010.

View global rankings →

Life

be 12.5% more likely to be literate

In Iran, the literacy rate is 88.9% as of 2023. In Tuvalu, it is 100.0% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

have 74.8% more children

In Iran, there are approximately 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Tuvalu, there are 22.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 10.6 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Iran, approximately 16.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Tuvalu, 170.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 60.2% more likely to die during infancy

In Iran, approximately 10.3 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Tuvalu, on the other hand, 16.5 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 4.6 times more on education

Iran spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Tuvalu spends 12.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

View global rankings →

spend 4.5 times more on healthcare

Iran spends 6.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Tuvalu, that number is 27.1% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 99.0% less coastline

Iran has a total of 2,440 km of coastline. In Tuvalu, that number is 24 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 13.1% less likely to die in a road accident

In Iran, road accidents kill 20.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Tuvalu, they kill 17.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 62.5% less home broadband

Iran has 12.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Tuvalu has 4.5 as of 2022.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook (2007–2010), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Tuvalu: At a glance

Tuvalu is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 26 sq km. In 1974, ethnic differences within the British colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands caused the Polynesians of the Ellice Islands to vote for separation from the Micronesians of the Gilbert Islands. The following year, the Ellice Islands became the separate British colony of Tuvalu. Independence was granted in 1978. In 2000, Tuvalu negotiated a contract leasing its Internet domain name ".tv" for $50 million in royalties over a 12-year period.
Read more

How big is Tuvalu compared to Iran? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Tuvalu or Iran. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.